BOOM!

The moment Xiao Mo slashed at Wangxin, the Buddha Jade Pendant she carried flared with light, blocking the blow.

A massive crash echoed through the woods as a fissure was torn into the ground behind Wangxin.

Sent flying by the ferocious Sword Qi, Wangxin’s frail body crashed through several trees.

Just as Wangxin struggled to her feet, Xiao Mo slashed down again.

Tapping her toes lightly, she summoned blooming lotuses beneath her feet, just barely managing to sidestep the attack.

"Xiao Mo..."

Seeing his state, Wangxin bit her lip. She knew what sort of method Xiao Mo must have used to repair his Spirit Vein and Root Bone.

Judging by that last slash, he had apparently succeeded. His Realm had been restored to the Jade Realm.

A single blow was all it took to crack the Protective Jade Pendant her Grandpa Abbot had given her.

But the Xiao Mo before her now had completely lost his mind. He was like a humanoid Fierce Beast.

As Wangxin wondered what to do, Xiao Mo swung his third strike.

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, the top of a distant, barren mountain was sliced clean off by Xiao Mo’s attack, sending rubble tumbling down its slopes.

Wangxin turned and flew away, trying to lead Xiao Mo to a more remote location.

Seeing his "prey" flying off, the crazed Xiao Mo naturally gave chase.

But just as the two of them flew over a plain, Xiao Mo suddenly dove toward the ground.

Wangxin glanced down.

On the small plain below, an escort agency was transporting goods.

"This is bad..." Wangxin had a terrible feeling.

In his current state, Xiao Mo was like a killing machine.

He would slash down at any living person he saw.

Not to mention, the Blood Qi of these Darts Masters from the martial world was exceptionally vigorous.

To this Xiao Mo, even if they did nothing, their mere presence was a provocation.

"Master, look! A Cultivator is flying toward us," a man carrying a Meteor Hammer on the plain said to the lead Darts Master.

"What’s going on? Do Immortals also have a taste for the silver of the Mortal World?" Master Li asked in confusion.

"Master, what should we do? He doesn’t seem friendly," the other Darts Masters said, cold sweat beading on their foreheads. As Xiao Mo drew closer, the killing intent was so oppressive they could barely breathe.

"What the hell else can we do? Quick! Run!" Master Li roared.

What could mere Martial Artists like them do against a Cultivator? Running was the only option!

But Xiao Mo wasn’t going to let them run.

Xiao Mo slashed down, intending to obliterate their very souls.

At that exact moment, a young woman appeared before them.

Golden Buddha’s Light formed a Shield of Light, blocking the slash.

Wangxin spat out a mouthful of blood, her body plummeting to the ground like a meteorite.

Xiao Mo landed, ignored Wangxin, and casually picked up a long saber.

He raised the saber high, and crimson Evil Qi coiled around the blade, extending its gleam to a length of a hundred feet.

The Darts Masters were frozen in place by Xiao Mo’s Evil Qi, unable to take a single step.

Feeling the overwhelming Evil Qi and killing intent that filled the air, despair flooded the Darts Masters’ hearts. Many of them fell to their knees, their legs giving out, but they couldn’t even utter a single word of pleading.

"Xiao Mo, don’t!"

Just as Xiao Mo was about to bring the saber down, Wangxin climbed out of the deep crater and flew to embrace him.

Feeling the soft warmth in his arms and smelling the familiar scent of the young woman, a trace of hesitation flickered in Xiao Mo’s eyes.

"Xiao Mo, you promised you wouldn’t fall... Xiao Mo, wake up..."

Wangxin held Xiao Mo even tighter.

She knew that if Xiao Mo’s blade fell and was stained with the blood of innocents, there would be no coming back for him.

The saber in Xiao Mo’s hand trembled ceaselessly, but the final blow never fell.

His eyes would flare a deeper crimson one moment and dim the next, as if a fierce struggle was raging within him.

Everyone stared intently at Xiao Mo, not daring to breathe too loudly, terrified of attracting the attention of this strange Cultivator.

One breath...

Two breaths...

Three breaths...

Never before had time felt so agonizingly slow for any of them.

"Alright, you can let go now. You’re a monastic, yet you’re holding me this tightly. Haven’t you heard that men and women should maintain a respectful distance?"

After ten breaths, Xiao Mo’s voice came from above Wangxin’s head.

Wangxin looked up from Xiao Mo’s embrace.

The crimson in Xiao Mo’s eyes was gradually receding, and the intense killing intent was also subsiding.

Finally, Xiao Mo lowered the saber. Forged from common iron, it had endured too much Evil Qi and Sword Qi. The moment it hit the ground, it disintegrated into flecks of metal and vanished.p>

"Xiao Mo..." Wangxin stared blankly at him. "You..."

"Let go," Xiao Mo repeated.

"Ah? Oh... right..." Seeing that Xiao Mo seemed to have truly returned to his senses, Wangxin finally let him go.

"You’re lucky. Get going," Xiao Mo said, looking up at the Darts Masters.

"Thank you, great Immortal, for sparing our lives!"

"Thank you, great Immortal, for your mercy!"

Although none of them knew what had just happened, they were all overjoyed to be alive and kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude.

After a dozen or so kowtows, Master Li, fearing the Immortal might change his mind again, urged the men beside him, "Let’s go, let’s go..."

The troop hastily took their goods and left, not daring to look back even once.

"What are you spacing out for? Let’s go back."

Xiao Mo tapped Wangxin on the head, then turned and flew off in the direction of the mountain village.

"Ah? Oh..." Wangxin hurriedly followed.

Flying beside Xiao Mo and studying his profile, Wangxin was wondering how to ask what had happened when he spoke first. "Wangxin."

"Yes?" Wangxin answered.

"If this ever happens to me again," Xiao Mo said, his eyes filled with an icy chill, "kill me."

...

「Half a month later, in Crown Peak City.」 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

After Master Li and his men handed over the goods, they went to the most famous tavern in the city for a drink.

"Master, that Cultivator we met on the plain... why did he seem so familiar?" a Martial Artist asked.

"Oh? You’ve seen an Immortal like that before?" another Martial Artist with a buzz cut said with a laugh.

"I think I’ve already guessed who that man is," Master Li said, taking a sip of wine.

"Who, Master?" his apprentice asked, leaning in curiously.

"That man must be Xiao Mo," Master Li said with a sigh. "The only reason he seems familiar to you is because you’ve seen his wanted poster in the city."

"Xiao Mo?"

The buzz-cut Martial Artist’s heart clenched.

"The Xiao Mo who’s wanted by several Sects, has killed countless people, and is known as the Blood Demon? If that’s really him, then we were incredibly lucky to have escaped with our lives."

"Indeed," Master Li nodded.

Just as Master Li and his men were marveling at their fortune, two old Cultivators approached them and held out a portrait. "Gentlemen, the Xiao Mo you saw—did he look like this?"

"Yes, yes," the bald Martial Artist nodded hurriedly. "That’s exactly what he looked like."

Hearing their confirmation, the old Cultivators broke into excited smiles.

"Please, tell us in detail where you encountered him."